Hallucination
by Aruchyan
Summary: It's been two years since the defeat of Malomyotismon and everything is routine for the Digidestined. However, an evil is present in Odaiba. Who is it? My first fanfic. Be nice!
1. Chapter 1

To all reading this: this is my first fanfic, so please, be nice! Hope you like it!

This takes place after the defeat of Malomyotismon. I used their Japanese names, but I may switch over to English…probably not though. The title may change...

Disclaimer- I don't own Digimon. Also, any names, places, etc. that have resemblance to any real-life place, person, or thing, sorry, I made it up.

"…"- speaking

'…'-thoughts

xxxxxx-scene change

Hallucination

A lone figure stood on a cliff overlooking Odaiba. He chuckled to himself, going over his plan in his head. "Look at them all. Sleeping without a care in the world," he uttered in disgust. "Pitiful humans. Well, let them sleep. They have no part in my vengeance." He looked up to the sky, smiling. "How long has it been, I wonder? Long enough." A flash of lightning lit up the sky. Devimon's dark features were illuminated for a split second. As the black face backed into the shadows once more, he said, "Yes, my long-awaited revenge on the Digi-destined will begin!" A roll of thunder sounded across the town, as twelve children slept, ignorant of their fate.

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"Takeru!"

Takeru Takaishi turned at the sound of his name. "Hey there, guys!" he called to his five friends. Daisuke Motomiya, Iori Hida, Miyako Inoue, Ken Ichijouji, and Hikari Kamiya came running up. "Ohayou, minna-san!" he said cheerfully.

"Ohayou, Takeru-kun." Hikari said in return. "Looking forward to the new school?"

"I'm not sure. I'm happy that we're all together, though." Takeru responded. He, along with Hikari, Daisuke, and Ken, were starting the seventh grade at Odaiba Middle School. Ken had moved to Odaiba soon after the defeat of Malomyotismon two years ago. He somehow convinced his parents to allow him to be near his friends. They were ecstatic that he wanted to be closer to his friends. So, Ken now lived right next door to Takeru.

"It is nice, isn't it?" Ken said.

"Yeah!" they all chimed.

In the two years since Malomyatismon's defeat, they had all grow a few inches, filled out, and matured. Miyako and Hikari's hair had grown longer, and Iori was the same height as the girls, while the other boys were a half a head taller than the rest. However, Takeru still wore his hat, Daisuke still wore goggles on his head, and Miyako still wore glasses. The six of them, along with Hikari and Takeru's brothers, Taichi Kamiya and Yamato Ishida, and Sora Takenouchi, Koushiro Izumi, Mimi Tachikawa, and Joe Kido, the original Digi-destined, visited the digital world often. Often times, it was for a picnic, but also for special occasions and odd jobs.

"Sure, it's nice and all, but _school_? Why can't vacation last longer?" Daisuke whined.

"Some of us don't mind school, Daisuke-kun," Hikari replied. "And I expect that you all did you're summer homework?"

'Uh oh. Damn, I forgot' "Well, Hikari-chan, I-"

"Of course!"

"No problem."

"Easy."

"Well, y'see, I would've done it, but, well, there was a neighborhood soccer tournament, then these kids wanted me to teach them how to play soccer, then-" Daisuke complained.

The others giggled as Daisuke tried to justify the neglect he gave his homework. But by the time they reached the middle school, the conversation had ended, with Hikari finishing up a lecture on the importance of homework. At this point, Iori continued down the road towards the elementary school while the others entered the gate.

"It looks so much bigger than it did during orientation," Daisuke commented about the four-story building. The other children, except for Miyako, nodded their heads in agreement. Miyako continued on, while the rest stopped at the entrance.

"What are you all waiting for?" she said when she reached the door and no one had budged. The kids looked at her, then hurried inside.

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"They don't have a care in the world. When shall we strike, Lord Devimon?" a small Digimon asked. He was eager to help his lord and master in anyway possible. The devil Digimon had earned his respect over the two year period since Devimon's rebirth.

"Soon, Raptomon. Very soon…"

End of Chapter One

Not too bad for my first time. Kinda short, but I like it! Hope you do too! Please tell me what you think!

Birdyinthewindow


	2. Chapter 2

Well, here ya go, Chapter 2! Hope ya like! Give me feedback, please!

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"It's so not fair! What's he got that I don't?" Daisuke said, exasperated. In the span of a week, Takeru had been asked out by three different girls, was recruited for the basketball team, and was nominated as a candidate for president of the student council. The attention that Takeru received annoyed him to no end, considering the fact that he had made no new friends during the week and had no reputation whatsoever. Even the teachers didn't remember him.

"Do you really want me to answer that question?" Miyako replied. They were all going to school for their seventh day there. Hikari and Takeru were a ways ahead and couldn't hear the exchange.

"Hey guys, could you be any louder? I thought you didn't want those two to hear," Iori said.

"Why don't you want them to hear, again?" Miyako asked, though she was pretty sure of the answer.

"If I told them, I wouldn't feel that great and Hikari-chan would probably take his side! I'm jealous, okay? I mean, I was the one playing basketball with him, but he's the one recruited. The coach wouldn't have given me the time of day!"

"But you have your strong points too, Daisuke-san. Basketball's just not your strong point," Iori said, trying to make him feel better.

"Yeah, but still! Again, I ask, what's he got that I don't?" Daisuke said. He was grateful for Iori's comment, but he was still jealous.

"I'll reply in the same way," Miyako answered. "Do you really want me to answer?"

"Aw, c'mon! Cut me some slack!" Miyako and Iori giggled, but they were interrupted by a voice.

"Hey! Are you all coming or not?"

"Coming, Takeru-san! Are you two coming?" Iori asked. The trio had halted on the sidewalk without realizing it.

"Oh, uh, yeah! Come on, Daisuke!" The three children raced to catch up to their friends, then continued on to school.

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Raptomon was growing impatient. It wasn't that he didn't believe in Devimon's judgment, however, he wanted to get the show on the road. The bird-like Digimon fluttered anxiously from one place to another, waiting for the order to strike. He had been watching the Digi-destined children for the longest time, but hadn't heard hide or hair of his master since that day a week ago.

"You're rather restless. Do you want to be seen?" The sudden voice made him jump. Despite his heightened senses, he had not heard Devimon approach him.

"Not particularly, Lord Devimon," he replied. "I was just practicing a dance I saw on the-what's it called? Oh yeah- television. I liked it, and I've been practicing. I mean, I need something to do while I'm watching these kids! Anyway, wanna see?"

With that, he began hopping up and down, fluttering about, and twirling, ending with his wings out and his legs in a split, something that would not have been possible for a real bird. However, Devimon was not amused. Also, apparently doing the splits isn't possible for Raptomon either.

"Uh, master, a little help, please?"

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"Man, I'm beat. Between schoolwork, avoiding all those girls, basketball and the digital world, I have no time to just relax. I need to take a nap." Takeru slowly opened the door to the apartment he and his mother shared. His mother was gone on another business trip and wouldn't be back for several days. He took off his shoes and proceeded to his bedroom. When he got there, he lay on his bed, rolled on his side, closed his eyes, and was soon fast asleep.

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Raptomonlooked through the door at the sleeping form. His legs still hurt from the little performance he had given Devimon, but that did not deter him from his task. When the boy had opened the door, he had unintentionally given Raptomon his opportunity to get inside the apartment. The Digimon had made it in the door, but just barely. It'll probably take a while for those tail feathers to grow back. In any case, he was in the apartment now; short on a few tail feathers and limping, but in the apartment.

He approached Takeru's bedside, being careful of his legs and any squeaky boards. He wasn't sure if the boy was a light sleeper or not, and did not want to find out in fear of blowing his cover. When he reached the boy, he flapped his wings, raising his body until he was positioned right over Takeru's neck. He moved the syringe in his mouth over to his foot, careful of the needle.

"Y'know, kid, I'd rather just kill you right here and now, but Lord Devimon wishes to toy with you a little." The boy didn't hear him. So without further delay, Raptomon pierced the needle into the child's neck, then pushed the purple liquid out of it and into his bloodstream. Takeru didn't even flinch.

He removed the needle and flew over to the window. The bird Digimon then went on to unlock, open, and close the window. He then looked back in the room and smirked (or at least the bird equivalent). "Sweet dreams, kid," he said, before flying away, laughing madly all the while.

End of Chapter Two

So, what do you think? Please tell me!

Birdyinthewindow


	3. Chapter 3

Hey ppls! Here's chapter 3. I noticed that my chapters are really short. So here's a slightly longer one. They'll gradually get longer. Anyway, enjoy!

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Takeru woke up with a headache and a kink in his neck. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was one in the morning.

'Crap, I slept the entire afternoon away. I have to get my homework done, now.' So he reluctantly got out of bed and went to his desk. He had put his bag there hours before. A sudden wave of dizziness hit him. He clutched the desk, trying not to fall over. However, the feeling soon passed. 'That was pleasant. Weird. Am I sick?' he thought to himself. 'No, I probably just got up too fast.' With that decided, he sat himself down at the desk and tried to finish his homework.

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'Geez, I'm really tired. But it's only ten. I got plenty of sleep during the afternoon. Oh, what's wrong with me? Wait, is someone calling my name?'

"Takeru-kun…Takeru-kun! … Are you there? … Hey!" Hikari called.

"I'm here. What's up?"

"Lunch ended a few minutes ago. No one but me noticed that you weren't following us. You've been staring out into space for a while now and haven't touched your food. Is something wrong?"

'I don't want her to worry.' He stood up and replied, "Everything's fine, Hikari-chan." He gave her the most convincing smile he could muster. "I'm just a little tired and I'm not hungry."

She wasn't convinced that he was alright, but didn't pry. Instead, she asked, "What's our next class? We have all of our classes together, right?"

"Oh, um, next is…art, I think. Electives are on the third floor and we're on the first, so we'd better hurry, or we'll be late!"

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'It's finally over. This day lasted forever. I almost fell asleep during math and science and I was really out of it for the other ones. It doesn't help that those classes are boring to begin with. But I missed some pretty important stuff while I was trying to keep myself awake. I'm going to have to ask Hikari-chan for a recap later. I hope she won't mind.'

Takeru trudged into the apartment. He was extremely tired and wanted to go straight to bed, but he didn't want to have a repeat of the day before.

'I shouldn't be this tired. In any case, I can't go to sleep yet. If I can just get my homework done, I can sleep as long as I want, provided I get up for school. Miyako will probably yell loud enough through the door and wake me up if I'm late.'

He managed to get to his room, then sat at his desk, took out a pencil and his homework, and began to complete his homework. Fortunately, he didn't have very much. But after half an hour, he hadn't gotten very far. He had spent most of the time trying to stay awake.

Three hours after he had begun, he finished his homework.

'Well, that didn't take too long. Dang, that amount of work should've taken me an hour at the most, not three! I'm not thinking straight and I don't understand any of this. And now I'm even more exhausted. This is just like the rest of my day. Maybe I should see a doctor. I think I am sick. I'm going to bed right now.'

He noticed that it was getting dark out and he hadn't even taken his shoes off at the entrance, but didn't really care. He threw them next to his school bag then took a shirt out of his drawers along with some long pants. It was getting colder and he didn't want to be shivering during the night. He had just enough energy to get to the bathroom. He took a shower, which woke him up a bit, and got changed and ready for bed. But before he could make it to his room, the phone rang.

'Great.'

Ring…

Ring…

Ri- "Moshi moshi, Takaishi residence."

"Konnichiwa, Takeru-kun."

"Hikari-chan?"

"Yeah. I wanted to call you before, but Okaa-san made me go shopping with her. I just called to make sure you're alright. You seemed kind of out of it today. Are you feeling well?" Hikari said into the telephone.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just tired." Her friend replied. Hikari noticed the weariness in his voice.

"I can see that. Well, get some sleep. Remember that you're my best friend and you can tell me if anything's wrong."

"Arigato, Hikari-chan. Anything else? I'm going to bed right after this call ends."

"Nothing at the moment."

"Then I'll see you tomorrow. Oyasumi."

"Oyasumi, Takeru-kun. Sleep well." With that, she hung up.

Takeru hung up on his end as well. Though he didn't get that many calls during a typical day, he was tempted to unplug the telephone to ensure that he would have peace and quiet. In the end, he decided against it; he might get an important call. At the very least, the answering machine needed to be on. So he turned it on and went back to his room.

By the time he got into bed, he was already half asleep. In a minute, he was completely asleep.

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"Lord Devimon, you never told me what that drug does." Raptomon and Devimon were staring at a mirror from atop the building adjacent to Takeru's.

"You'll find out soon enough, Raptomon."

"Why do you always do that? I'm a curious bird, ya know."

"Curious, but with the intellect of an ant."

"Ouch. I'm hurt." Raptomon said playfully.

"Do I look like a doctor?"

"Not really. But have you ever thought of changing professions?"

"No."

"Just wondering. I mean, the evil demon mastermind thing is so clichéd."

"Be quiet. Now." Devimon sighed. He was getting a headache.

"Hey-"

"What did I just say?!"

"But something's starting!"

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"_It's dark."_

_Silence._

"_Am I dreaming?"_

_No response was heard from the darkness._

"_Hello?" he called._

"_Hello, Child of Hope," a familiar, bone chilling voice replied._

_Takeru turned to find himself face to face with Devimon. Despite the fact that it had been five years since he had last seen the Digimon, the demon still managed to instill fear deep into his heart. It also invoked feelings of hatred in him, but those feelings paled in intensity when compared to the fear._

"_Wh-where did you come from?" Takeru nervously asked. "You disappeared a long time ago."_

_The devil Digimon chuckled. "Evil never disappears, boy. Yes, you did defeat me five years ago, but I was reborn."_

"_H-how?" Takeru found himself slowly backing away from his nemesis._

_Devimon noticed the boy's retreat and quickly closed the distance between them until their noses were almost touching. He grinned sadistically. He could sense the fear emanating from the child._

"_I feed off of darkness and evil. I was reborn from the darkness from _your _heart." _

"_That- that can't be true!" the boy exclaimed. "Sure, I know that I may not be immune to darkness, but I'm not evil enough for my heart to give birth to you." He spat the last word out with disgust._

"_Face it, child, everyone is evil in one way or another. You are no exception." He continued, "You, a person overflowing with light, have much more darkness in your heart than the average person. It's to balance everything out. It's only a matter of time before it swallows you up. Just surrender. You are evil." He said everything slowly, making sure his words were absorbed and understood. _

"_L-liar," was the shaky reply. Takeru wasn't so sure of himself anymore. 'I'm evil?' _

"_Join me and the darkness. You're evil too." Devimon had mysteriously vanished, but his voice was still there. The phrase was repeated over and over again. It floated around the dark expanse, refusing to go away. _

_Takeru shut his eyes and covered his ears. "No!" he screamed._

Then he woke up.

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Something tells me this story's going to end up being _really_ long.

Did you like it? Give me your opinion. Thanks for reading this far! I'll try to update ASAP!

Birdyinthewindow


	4. Chapter 4

Konnichiwa, minna! Here's chapter four!

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Takeru jolted from his dream, sweating. He was relieved to see light in his bedroom. However, the feeling was short-lived when he realized that he felt worse than he did the day before. His spirits fell even more when he looked at his nightstand, which was right next to the window. He found that the light came, not from the window, but from the lamp he had forgotten to turn off. When he happened to glance at the clock, he found that it was midnight.

'I don't want to go back to sleep, but I feel horrible. I'm not hungry, but maybe I should get a drink.'

He slowly got out from under the covers and out of bed. After a few steps, he noticed that he was falling. Once he hit the ground, he looked back to see what had caused his painful trip towards the hardwood floor. His shoes, which he had tried to throw towards his bag early that day, were under his feet. His bag was on the other side of the bed. He placed them almost under his bed, making sure that they were out of the way, but also making it so he could still see them. Then, he picked himself off the floor and made his way towards the kitchen. He was dizzy again and there was a sway to his step. Little black dots were playing across his vision. He put his hand on his head in hopes that it would help the vertigo. On his way to the door, he managed to trip over two other things on the floor and run into a wall.

'I wonder if a drink is worth all of this. Well, now I have some incentive to clean my room once I feel better,' he thought while rubbing his head after hitting the door also. 'At least I won't be tripping. Hopefully there isn't anything on the ground outside too.' The journey across his bedroom done, he opened the door and went straight for the kitchen.

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"Won't you tell me, master?" Raptomon pleaded. He had been pestering Devimon on the effects of the drug he had given Takeru for a while now.

"For the last time, no," Devimon said simply.

"Why not?"

"I don't want you to know."

"That's not fair! I want to know one simple thing and you won't tell me and you give me a stupid reason why. Now, tell me!"

"Why should I tell you?"

"'Cause I'll tell Okaa-sama if ya don't."

The demon gulped. He really didn't like Raptomon's "Okaa-sama." The leader of Raptomon's flock, also known as the okaa-sama of the flock, was a very large bird, larger than Devimon, with sharp talons, a sharp beak, and a sharper tongue. When Devimon had tried to recruit Raptomon, she had pointed out all of his weaknesses, criticized everything he believed in, and gave him a verbal lashing he knew he didn't need. When he had gotten angry, she easily tossed him aside and poked at him with her talons. That was a pride deflation he knew he didn't need or deserve. However, in the end, he got himself a loyal and entertaining subordinate. Not that he would ever admit it.

"Fine, you win. That bird is the only reason I haven't killed you yet," he surrendered.

"Yeah, yeah, you know you love me."

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'One-o-clock a.m. and I'm awake and sick. Maybe I should stay home from school. But then everyone will worry about me while they're supposed to be focusing on their classes. Doing well in school is more important than worrying about me. And I have to make sure to watch Daisuke. If he finds out I'm sick, he'll be worried, but he'll probably use my illness as an excuse not to do his homework. And we can't have that,' Takeru thought to himself. 'I'd better get some sleep. Hopefully that dream won't come back.'

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"So let me get this straight. That weird goopy purple stuff makes the person sick?" Raptomon was amazed at the effect the drug had on its victims.

"Correct."

"And it's able to torture you through your dreams?"

"Well, inside that drug is a digital organism, D-O for short. Once it gets into someone's brain, it first analyzes your memories and fears, then it converts them into dreams. The presence of the D-O acts like a very strong virus and makes the victim extremely sick. That's when I intend to strike: when he's weak and vulnerable. But first, I intend to watch him squirm in his dreams," Devimon clarified. "I'm rather interested to find out exactly what the D-O is going to do to the boy."

"So is that why you made me carry this heavy mirror all this way? It lets you see dreams, right?" his subordinate said, indicating a large mirror.

"Yes to both questions. I wanted to see the drug in action and this was the easiest way to do it."

Raptomon paused, thinking about something Devimon had just said. "Wait, you don't know what's going to happen?"

"No. The D-O has a mind of its own."

"Is that safe? What if the D-O thingy kills him before you can?"

"I won't let it do that," Devimon said firmly. His tone stated that the conversation would end there.

Raptomon's responded uneasily. "Whatever you say sir."

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Miyako and Iori were surprised. Takeru wasn't in the lobby of the apartment complex when they got down there. Usually, on school days, he beat everyone no matter what.

"Ohayou. Oh, Takeru-kun isn't here yet?" a surprised voice asked as its owner came out of the elevator.

"Ohayou, Ichijouji-kun. And no, he isn't. Did you see him when you came down?" Miyako said.

"No. And I didn't bother to check his apartment," was Ken's reply.

"Someone should go check on him," Iori said, concerned about his friend. "Something must be wrong."

"Why don't we all go up?" Ken suggested. "We've got time and we can always run to school. I need to go back up anyway. I think I forgot my math homework."

"Sounds like a great idea," Miyako said, leading the way back into the elevator.

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After retrieving Ken's homework, the trio looked at the door to Takeru's apartment. Ken was about to ring the bell when Iori noticed that the door was open just a crack.

"Takeru-san's usually so careful. I wonder what made him forget to close the door tightly," Iori commented, pushing the door open. The apartment was dark and quiet. The heavy atmosphere made them all very quiet as they entered.

"What are you all doing here?" a quiet and weary voice asked.

The sudden noise made them all jump. They turned to find Takeru standing in the hallway that led to his and his mother's rooms.

Miyako was the first to find her voice. "You weren't downstairs when we got there. Since you're usually the first one, we thought it was kind of out of the ordinary and got worried." As she looked him over, she thought, 'Wow, he looks tired.' And he did. He had dark circles under his eyes, was slouching, and, even in the poor lighting, he looked pale. 'Scratch that. He looks utterly exhausted.'

"I forgot to set my alarm. How'd you guys get in here anyway?" was his reply.

"Your door was unlocked and open. We let ourselves in," she stated.

"I-in any case, we should get going," Ken said, and started for the door.

"Yeah, or else Hikari-san and Daisuke-san will get worried," Iori added.

"Um, yeah. Coming, Takeru-kun?" Miyako said uneasily, unsure of whether she should mention her concern.

"Yeah," he said, the exhaustion evident in his voice. He went out the door and started for the elevator. His three fellow Digi-destined shot concerned looks at him, then followed.

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Takeru trailed behind his five friends on their way to school. For the past few days, he had been the last one down to the lobby, making everyone concerned. He didn't talk to anyone and always looked like he was going to fall over any minute. He also hadn't worn his trademark hat in days now. His blond head looked very empty without it.

Several times a day, they all asked him if he was feeling alright and he always told them that he was fine. That was obviously a lie. Even if he was good at lying, all of them would have to be blind in order to not see that he was ill.

Now, it was Saturday and they were all thinking of going to the digital world. However, they weren't sure if it would be wise to take him.

"The way he is, I doubt he would notice if we went without him," Daisuke said, earning nods from all of the kids.

Hikari glanced behind her and was alarmed at what she saw. The conversation continued and no one noticed when she left the group.

"He obviously needs sleep, among other things. He's practically asleep on his feet!" Miyako declared.

"We really ought to prevent him from coming to school. At this rate, he'll kill himself," Iori added.

"Maybe we should just knock him out and we can all skip school to take care of him," Daisuke said with a chuckle.

Ken glanced behind him and his eyes widened. "Uh, guys?" he said softly.

"I don't think Takeru-san will appreciate being knocked out," Iori said matter-of-factly.

"Besides, Takeru-kun wouldn't want us to miss school. And not only are we skipping, but we're skipping because of him. He would probably feel guilty because he's just the kind of person that puts others before himself, unlike someone I know," Miyako pointed out.

Ken tried again, only this time a little louder. "Guys, are you listening?"

"Four words too many, Four-eyes."

"Miyako-san, Daisuke-san, now's not the time to fight!" said Iori, putting himself between the two.

"Guys!" Ken yelled, finally getting the attention of all three children. They all gave him questioning looks. "Takeru-kun collapsed a little ways back." He pointed, making Daisuke and Miyako immediately stop fighting and looked behind them. They saw Hikari bent over a figure with blond hair. They quickly realized who it was and, along with Iori and Ken, rushed back to help their friend.

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"…Hey, man, wake up!" Daisuke said, lightly slapping Takeru's face. He was beginning to get very anxious. His companion's skin was way too warm. They had all been trying for several minutes to wake the unconscious boy. "It's not working. He's out cold. And I'm pretty sure he has a fever, "

"What are we going to do now?" Miyako asked. "Should we go to school and tell the teachers or go home and let our parents tell them?"

"We're closer to our apartments, so we should probably go home. I'll go and tell Okaa-san to call the school, and ask Onii-chan for Yamato-kun's cell phone number. The high school starts later today and they're both probably still home. I'll see you guys in a little bit, 'kay?" Hikari said. With that, she ran towards her apartment.

"I'd better tell my okaa-san to call or else the teachers will think I'm purposely absent. I'll be back!" Daisuke said, running off as well.

"That leaves us three," Iori said. "Not counting Takeru-san."

"Who's going to carry him back?" Miyako asked.

"I will," Ken replied quickly, picking up his unconscious friend in his arms. Ken was almost the same height as Takeru, so the task was easy. "Besides, I'm right next door to him, so he can probably stay at my place so he has easy access to his things next door. His okaa-san isn't home, so I'll get mine to call in for her. "

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. I want to help. In exchange, Miyako-san, I want you to get medicine and food from the convenience store, okay? In the meantime, you can also get your parents to phone the school." Miyako nodded and ran ahead. "Iori-kun," he went on, "after you talk to your okaa-san, can you help me with taking care of Takeru-kun?"

"Of course."

"Great. Then let's hurry home. I'll meet you up at my apartment, okay?"

"Right."

That established, they ran home.

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"Is everyone here?" Ken asked. He and his friends were all gathered in his room.

"Daisuke-san isn't here yet, but other than that, everyone's here. Yamato-san is coming right now and should be here in about fifteen minutes," Iori informed him.

"Ichijouji-kun, if he's skipping school, he'd better get over here!" Miyako exclaimed. "He's probably-"

"He's probably having trouble convincing his okaa-san," Hikari interrupted. "She probably thinks he's making it up."

"We should call her. She'll need to hear it from us. Who will she believe?" Ken said, picking up the phone on his desk.

"She'll probably believe me," Hikari said, reaching for the phone. Ken handed it to her and she dialed Daisuke's number.

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"-I'm telling the truth! Takeru-kun collapsed and I want to help take care of him, so I want to skip school! Despite what I say, I haven't missed a day of school, so can't I skip just this once?!" Daisuke exclaimed. He and his okaa-san had been arguing for the past fifteen minutes and it didn't look like he was going to win.

"I won't allow it! And you know that you've faked sick many times in order to skip school, so don't give me that!" his okaa-san retorted. She didn't believe him for a minute. She was about to make him go back to school when the telephone rang. She picked it up and said, "Moshi moshi, Motomiya residence… Oh, Hikari-chan! Shouldn't you be at- huh?...oh. Yes, Daisuke will be there. Arigato." Then she hung up.

"That was Hikari-chan! She told you whole story, right? See, I told you I was telling the truth!" Daisuke said victoriously.

"Alright, fine. I'll call and excuse you. Tell Takeru-kun I hope he feels better."

"I will, Okaa-san. Bye-bye!" he yelled, already halfway out the door. He was determined to do whatever he could in order to help his friend. He didn't have the Digi-egg of Friendship for nothing.

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In this chapter, I used the Japanese names for relatives. I meant to in the previous chapters, but I forgot. Anyhoo, hope you liked it! I'll try to update soon. Thanks for reading and please continue.

Birdyinthewindow


	5. Chapter 5

'ello! Birdy here. Hope you've liked the story so far. Sorry it took so long to update. Here's chapter 5.

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When Daisuke went into Ken's room, the atmosphere hit him like a brick. It was absolutely silent, besides the sound of dripping water when the cloth on Takeru's forehead was changed. The silence frightened him. He understood his friends' moods, but he didn't like it. After an hour or so, he was sick of it. He was about to say something about it when he was interrupted by Hikari.

"He's waking up!" she exclaimed, relieved.

Takeru moaned. Suddenly, his eyes shot open and he sat up, panting. They could all see the fear present in his wide, azure eyes. When he noticed that he was among friends, he regained his composure and relaxed.

"What am I doing here?" he asked after a minute.

"You collapsed on the way to school," Iori began.

"So I carried you here," Ken continued.

"And we've cared for you ever since," Miyako finished.

"What time is it?"

"About three in the afternoon," was the reply.

The answer alarmed him. "What about school?" he asked anxiously.

"We skipped. All of our parents called in to say that we'd be absent. Okaa-san called in for you. Yamato-san stopped in, but he had to go to school. Speaking of him, I should probably tell him that you're awake," Ken said. With that, he left to make a phone call to Yamato.

"Why'd you do that? You don't have to skip for my sake," was Takeru's irritated reply. He swung his feet over the side of Ken's bed.

"You're our friend. And you're obviously not taking good care of yourself, so we're helping. Anyway, we had no choice but to skip. You collapsed in the middle of the walk and we were closer to our apartments, so we brought you here," Miyako chimed.

"Why didn't you guys just go back after you brought me here?"

"We probably would've just worried about you and wouldn't have focused. In other words, it's better that we skipped school," Iori reasoned. Takeru seemed satisfied with his answer and didn't continue on the topic.

"Okay, fine. But I'm going home. I don't want to impose any longer." He pushed himself off the bed and proceeded towards the door. However, he never got there. Five pairs of hands pushed him back down. "Why can't I go back to my apartment? It's right next door," he said, almost whining. A thermometer was shoved in his face.

"Read it. You've got a pretty high fever. You shouldn't be moving around."

"And I won't. But only when I get to my room," he retorted. "I appreciate it, you all, and don't take it personally, but I prefer my own bed over someone else's. Besides, you'll need a bed come nighttime. I might as well go back now."

"Your Onii-san is worried about you. If we don't take care of you, he'll kill us," Ken added. "He made that clear to me on the phone."

"Takeru-kun," Hikari spoke up. Everyone looked at her. She hadn't spoken since she had informed them that Takeru woke up. "Listen to them, Takeru-kun. Let someone take care of you. We can let you go back to your apartment if you'll let at least one of us take care of you." She looked at him with concerned eyes. She was worried about her best friend. "Would it be better if it's just me? I have to pay you back for when you took care of me when we were battling the Dark Masters. And I know where everything is in your apartment. My parents won't mind. So, won't you at least let me help you?" She was determined to help him.

Takeru sighed. He probably wasn't going to win this one. Hikari's insistence combined with his headache and fever made his will to fight die off.

"Alright, fine. Since you're so determined, Hikari-chan, you can come. But no more, okay? The rest of you are too noisy. You want me to rest, right?" He had surrendered. "Anyway, thanks for taking care of me. You really shouldn't have."

"Anytime."

"We're your friends. Of course we'd take care of you."

"It was nothing."

"You would've done the same."

Takeru was a little embarrassed that he was receiving this much care and attention from his friends.

"Thanks everyone."

He tried to get up off the bed a second time. This time, no one stopped him. Hikari moved to his side, took his hand, and gently pulled him in the right direction. He felt like he would collapse again, but he somehow stayed upright, made it out of Ken's apartment rather quickly, and opened the door to his apartment.

However, his strength gave out on him. As soon as the door closed, he fell to his knees, the strain the small walk had taken on him evident in his winded breath.

"You really should've stayed at Ichijouji-kun's place," Hikari said quietly, bringing herself down to his level.

"Then I have five friends trying to take care of me when I only need one. Since you asked first, I took the chance to get rid of the rest. Besides, what you and I said is true. I need peace and quiet, you're the quietest, and I'm most comfortable with you." He looked directly into her eyes, making her blush.

"A-alright. But let's get you in bed. You'll make your condition worse if you sleep on the ground. I'm sure your fever is already worse than it was, with all this moving around." She helped him to his feet and managed to get him to his bed. He was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Hikari went into the kitchen and found a bowl that she filled with water. 'I guess I really do know where everything is in here. It's a good thing I don't have to wake him up to ask. He needs his rest,' the girl thought to herself while she got a small towel from the bathroom. She sat down next to his bed, wet the towel, and put it on his warm forehead.

'I wonder what happened to him. He always puts others before himself, but he does take care of his body. And he looks exhausted. How long has he been like this? I noticed last week that he seemed kind of out of it. He's gotten worse and worse ever since then. Did he really think we wouldn't notice? That I wouldn't notice? He's my best friend and I l-'

Her thoughts were interrupted when Takeru started mumbling.

"-no, I'm not… I'm…not…go away…get out of my head…stop…No!" he mumbled, clutching his head in his sleep. Hikari watched her friend as he was tortured in his dreams, tortured by an entity she could neither see nor understand. Being unable to do anything for him, seeing as she had no idea what he was going through in his sleep, pained her deeply. Takeru had always been there for her, to help her when she needed it. "He's always been the light, not me. Always so positive and cheerful. But you haven't been these past few weeks and we all noticed. Oh Takeru-kun, I want to help you so badly," she said aloud, though no one could hear.

"-Hikari…chan…No! Don't hurt her!" he yelled, opening his eyes. He sat up quickly, almost hitting Hikari in the process. He didn't see her at first. Instead, he just sat in bed, trembling and eyes wide with fear.

"T-Takeru-kun," Hikari said, cutting off his thoughts. He looked at her, relief showing in his blue eyes, though the blue was clouded from fever. Without any warning, he threw his arms around her, saying, "I'm so glad you're alright."

She let him stay like that for a while, partially because she was bright red and didn't want him to see. When she felt as though he had calmed down, and when she had calmed down a bit, she gently pushed him away. She looked right at him and said, "Yes, I'm here. I'm here, but I'm confused. You have to tell me what's wrong. I want to help, but you won't let me. I'm your best friend. You can tell me anything."

Takeru was surprised at her little speech. After a moment, he whispered, "Yes, I'm aware of that. And I'm grateful, but…"

"But what?"

"I don't know."

"Takeru-kun, I don't mind you not telling, but I will continue to try to get it out of you. It's obvious that nightmares like the one you just had are part of the reason you're sick and losing sleep, so it's beginning to involve me. So I really need-and want- you to tell me about them."

"Well, I-"

"If you don't want me to tell the others, I won't. But please, tell me at least. Don't you trust me?"

"It's not that I don't trust you," he said softly, his eyes on his hands in his lap. "In fact, I trust you more than anyone. But, I don't want you to worry about me. I'm sure you will."

"Then let me worry about you. Besides, I'm already worried, so what the point in worrying about worrying me?"

Takeru smiled a bit. "That was a mouthful."

"I'm serious." His smile faded.

"I know." He looked up at her, staring right into her eyes. 'She's always had expressive eyes,' he thought, seeing the worry, pain, and many other emotions in her eyes. He let out a long sigh, which turned into a yawn. "I guess I owe you this, considering how much you've done for me over the years. I guess I'd better start at the beginning."

He told her about the first dream he had, where Devimon had appeared and tried to convince him he was evil. He said how that was when he began to feel sick. He had brushed it off at first, but the nightmares continued, he lost sleep, and his health declined.

"The nightmares kept getting worse. First it was Devimon saying I'm an evil person, then each one of my friends, my brother, Patamon. Daisuke-kun even hit me. Then Devimon started hurting everyone while I couldn't do anything. He exploited that, saying I'm weak, worthless, and unable to do anything. He fatally injures my friends, then throws them at me. I catch them, but they look at me with utter hate, and say 'You're worthless. Why didn't you do anything?' Then they die, with their eyes open, still staring at me. Usually, I wake up after that.

"And it's always dark. You can see the people, but the background's black. All in all, I'm starting to believe them. I mean, dreams are a reflection of your subconscious, right? So, I must be thinking this, right?" His tone became frantic. He didn't want to believe his dreams, yet he felt himself waver. He hated as well as feared evil, but having been called evil and worthless multiple times over the course of a week just broke down the boy's spirit.

"But dreams are also fictional, right? And there is such a thing as recurring nightmares, so, I'm sure they'll go away if you wait a little," Hikari insisted, attempting to soothe her best friend's mind. She definitely did not enjoy seeing him, a boy that usually stood tall in the face of adversity, curled into a ball, shaking.

"Either way, I'm…scared." The reply was so quiet, Hikari barely heard it. Slowly, she embraced his trembling figure. She noticed how fragile he felt in her arms.

"Don't worry, I'm here," she said softly, her arms still around him. 'You protected me many times over the years. Now it's my turn.'

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"Man, It's really sunny today. Not a cloud in the sky," Yamato said, looking up from the parking lot of his otouto-chan's apartment building. He had come to the complex to pay a visit to the ill-stricken boy. He continued to scan the sky, being careful not to stare directly at the sun.

He was about to continue his way up to the apartment when a shadow obstructed his view of the blue sky. When the teen looked closer, he realized who it was on top of the adjacent building. He started running to the lobby. He found that the elevator was out of order, so he was forced to use the stairs. As he took the steps two at a time, he took out his cell phone and started calling his Digi-destined friends.

As the phone on the other end rang, he thought to himself, 'What are you doing here, Devimon?'

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Hope you liked it! I'll update as soon as possible.

Birdyinthewindow


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